Context:
World Trade Organisation (WTO) commemorated 30th anniversary of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
TRIPS Agreement:
- Evolved as part of – Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
- Came into force on – January 1, 1995.
- Include provisions of – World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Paris and Berne Conventions
- Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement – Affirmed that the TRIPS Agreement does not and should not prevent members from taking measures to protect public health and the right of members to fully use flexibilities in the Agreement for this purpose
- India joined the TRIPS Agreement in 1995
Important Provisions:
- Intellectual property rights (IPR), under the agreement, gives the creator an exclusive right over the use of his/her creations (inventions; literary and artistic works; designs, etc.) for a certain period of time.
- Sets out the minimum standards of protection to be provided by each Member.
- Coverage – Copyright, trademarks, geographical indications, industrial designs, patents, layout-designs of integrated circuit etc.
- Dispute settlement – Any disputes regarding TRIPS obligations are subjected to the WTO’s dispute settlement procedures.
- Also provided for Council for TRIPS (Forum where WTO members discuss issues relating to agreement)
- Allowed compulsory licensing to produce the patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner.
Source: WTO
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
1. India has ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of WTO.
2. TFA is a part of WTO’s Bali Ministerial Package of 2013.
3. TFA came into force in January 2016.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2017 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Statement 3 is not correct. It came into force in February 2017 and not in 2016
